"Support Family Added" Son Jeong-woo Appeals for Leniency, Marriage Annulled... Controversy Over Arranged Marriage

Son Jung-woo Sentenced to 1 Year and 6 Months in Second Trial
Son Jung-woo's Acquaintance "Did Not Know About Marriage," "Seems to Have Lied About Criminal Facts"

Son Jung-woo, the operator of the world's largest child sexual exploitation site "Welcome to Video," was released on the afternoon of July 6 after the court's decision to deny extradition to the United States, leaving Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Son Jeong-woo (24), the operator of the world's largest child sexual exploitation site 'Welcome to Video,' ended his marriage due to the spouse's annulment lawsuit. Previously, Son was released on probation in the first trial and registered his marriage with a woman. During the second trial, he emphasized that he had dependents and appealed for leniency. Some speculate that Son may have entered into a marriage of convenience to receive a reduced sentence.

On the MBC program 'PD Notebook' aired on the 4th, an acquaintance of Son said they were completely unaware of his marriage. Acquaintance A said, "You can't get married alone. If he had a wife and a baby before going to prison, he would have shown them off to his friends at least once because he likes to show off."

Another acquaintance B said, "I was in Dangjin, and after Son Jeong-woo was released on probation in the first trial, he contacted me. He boasted a lot about meeting this woman." According to B, Son had a girlfriend after the first trial. B said, "At that time, I don't think (the girlfriend) knew. There was no such talk. It seems he met her by hiding his criminal record."

There were also claims suggesting that Son entered into a marriage of convenience to reduce his sentence. Another acquaintance C said, "Son's father was involved in international marriage brokerage," speculating that Son might have married a foreign woman through such a brokerage.

However, Son's father claimed that his son's marriage was a normal one. Regarding the allegations of a marriage of convenience, Son's father said, "That (international marriage brokerage) was years ago, so talking about it now makes no sense," and explained, "The spouse's parents opposed it, so they filed an annulment lawsuit, ending the marriage."

When the production team asked, "Don't you think the woman might feel deceived?" he avoided answering, saying, "Stop asking. There could be secondary damage."

The father of Son Jung-woo, the operator of the world's largest child sexual exploitation site "Welcome to Video" (W2V), who avoided extradition to the United States, is entering the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on the morning of July 17 to be investigated as a complainant and accuser.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Previously, Son was arrested and indicted on charges of distributing child and adolescent sexual exploitation materials while operating the 'Welcome to Video' site on the Dark Web for about 2 years and 8 months starting from July 2015.

The number of members worldwide who joined the site operated by Son reached 1.28 million, and 170,000 obscene materials were uploaded to the site. Son earned 406 million KRW by allowing 4,073 members to download obscene materials 7,293 times in total.

At the time of his arrest, 20,000 videos totaling 8 terabytes (TB) were stored on the server, including videos of sexual exploitation of infants as young as six months old.

Son was sentenced to two years in prison with a three-year probation in the first trial, but in the second trial, he was sentenced to one year and six months in prison.

In the second trial, Son emphasized that he had dependents due to his marriage and appealed by mentioning his young age in his early twenties and the economically difficult times he experienced during childhood.

The second trial court sentenced him to one year and six months in prison, stating, "He experienced emotional and economic difficulties during childhood, and a significant portion of the materials were uploaded by members (not Son)." In particular, the court cited as a reason for sentencing, "He registered his marriage on April 17, 2019, creating dependents to support."